Tuesday start time changed for OBS auction

Despite some last-minute shifts to the schedule, the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. is set to continue its busy schedule with its spring sale of 2-year-olds in training next Tuesday through Friday, with a strong class of freshman sires continuing to garner attention coming into a sale that posted record returns last year.

The spring sale is the second of three multi-day juvenile sales OBS holds annually. The auction was preceded by an under-tack preview show on the Ocala Training Center’s all-weather Safetrack surface that was originally scheduled to run six days, from April 15 to April 20. However, heavy rain and strong winds forecast in the Ocala area caused sale officials to cancel the April 19 and April 20 breeze show sessions and to instead run elongated sessions on April 18 and on April 21 for a total of five sessions. As a result of adding the April 21 breeze show, the spring sale’s first session on Tuesday will begin at noon Eastern – instead of the originally scheduled 10:30 a.m. – in order to allow prospective buyers additional time to conduct horse inspections.

There are 1,221 2-year-olds cataloged to the sale.

Through the first three under-tack preview sessions, representing about half of the catalog, nine juveniles had tied for the fastest furlong time, the traditional standard at these sales, working in 9 4/5 seconds. Those bullet works all came during Tuesday and Wednesday’s sessions, as those working Monday battled a persistent headwind down the lane. Among the fastest juveniles were three fillies, each representing a freshman sire: Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern, Arkansas Derby winner Danza, and Irish-residing Group 1 winner Make Believe. The other sires represented by juveniles working bullet furlongs were Blame, Malibu Moon, Quality Road, Sky Mesa, Speightstown, and The Factor.

The fastest quarter-mile works at the midway point of the breeze show, also coming Tuesday, belonged to freshman sires. A colt by multiple graded stakes winner Amira’s Prince and a filly by classic-placed Grade 2 winner Commissioner each worked in 20 1/5 seconds on the synthetic surface.

OBS has the unenviable position of opening the juvenile sales calendar in North America, with its March sale responsible for creating market momentum. Last month’s two-day auction, led by a pair of seven-figure colts, posted a gain in gross compared to its 2018 renewal, thanks to an improved buyback rate. However, the auction also posted double-digit declines in its average and median sale figures.

The auction house now arrives at the spring sale, which posted record returns in 2017 and managed to better those figures in 2018 with across-the-board gains led by a $1.1 million Medaglia d’Oro filly. The four-day auction closed with 707 juveniles sold for revenues of $69,429,500, bettering the prior year’s record gross of $60,935,900 from 678 sold by 14 percent. Also setting a new high-water mark was the average sale price, which grew 9 percent to $98,203 from $89,876. The median closed at a record high for the seventh consecutive year, rising 16 percent to $55,000 from $47,500. The buyback rate finished at 18 percent, compared with 17 percent during the 2017 sale.

Bloodstock agent Steven Young landed the winning bid on the still-unstarted sale-topper, now named Italia, who is by Medaglia d’Oro and out of the Carson City mare Wilshewed. That mare’s seven winners from nine foals to race include Grade 1 winner Stormello, Grade 2 winner My Best Brother, Grade 3 winner Gala Award, Grade 1-placed stakes winner Cherry Lodge, and Grade 3-placed Greatest Game.

As the OBS spring sale looks to build on its success, it sports a half-sister to last year’s sale topper. The Bernardini filly is a full sister to Gala Award and Cherry Lodge.